There is no national age at which child support stops. Each state sets its own end point and adds exceptions for a child still in high school or a child with a disability, and a few deal with college. The end of current support does not wipe out what is already owed.
The basic age in each state
In most states covered here current support ends at 18 or the age of majority, with a high school extension. Colorado's orders end at 19 and New York's duty runs to 21.
| State | Current support ends | High school extension | Adult child with a disability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 18 or high school graduation, whichever is later | While enrolled in a diploma program and meeting attendance rules; can run to the end of the month of graduation | Indefinite support possible if the disability, or its known cause, existed by 18 and the child needs substantial care and personal supervision and will not be capable of self-support |
| California | 18 | Unmarried full-time high school student, not self-supporting, until 12th grade is done or age 19, whichever comes first | Each parent must support a child of any age unable to earn a living and without enough means |
| New York | 21, for an unemancipated child | No separate rule; the age-21 limit applies | Not covered here |
| New Jersey | Not covered here; the statute refers to emancipation by the court | Not covered here | Does not end only because of age if a severe mental or physical incapacity makes the child financially dependent |
| Colorado | 19, without a motion (orders since July 1, 1997) | Until the end of the month after graduation; not past 21 for a child who dropped out and re-enrolled | Court or agency may continue support past 19 |
| Pennsylvania | 18 or high school graduation, whichever is last, after an emancipation inquiry | Graduation date is part of the inquiry | Special needs can be a basis for continuing |
| Virginia | 18 | Full-time student, not self-supporting, living at home, until 19 or graduation, whichever comes first | Severe and permanent disability that began before 18 (or before 19 for a child who met the high school test), if the child cannot live independently and lives at home |
| Arizona | Age of majority | While actually attending high school or an equivalency program, but only until 19 | Severe disability that began before majority, if the child cannot live independently |
| Florida | 18, unless the court orders or the parents agree otherwise | Still in high school, performing in good faith and expected to graduate before 19 | Mental or physical incapacity that began before majority |
State notes
Texas
A court can order support until the child turns 18 or graduates from high school, whichever happens later, and support also ends if the child marries, has the disabilities of minority removed by a court, or dies (Tex. Fam. Code §154.001). Support past 18 requires enrollment in a program leading to a high school diploma and meeting the attendance rules (§154.002). For a child with a disability, a court may order support for an indefinite period if it finds that the child requires substantial care and personal supervision because of a mental or physical disability and will not be capable of self-support, and that the disability, or its known cause, existed on or before the 18th birthday (§154.302(a)).
California
The high school extension is in Fam. Code §3901: the child must be unmarried, a full-time high school student and not self-supporting, and support ends when the 12th grade is completed or at 19, whichever is first. A physician-documented medical condition can excuse the full-time requirement. Separately, parents share a duty to maintain a child "of whatever age" who cannot earn a living and lacks sufficient means (§3910). For college, the statute lets a court approve parents' stipulated agreement to support an adult child or to continue support after 18 (§3587).
New York
Parents are chargeable with the support of a child under 21, and "child support" is defined as support for an unemancipated child under 21 (Family Ct. Act §413(1)).
New Jersey
The support duty for a child who has not been emancipated by the court does not end only because of the child's age if the child has a severe mental or physical incapacity that makes the child financially dependent on a parent; it continues until the court finds the incapacity has ended or the child is no longer dependent (N.J.S.A. 2A:34-23(a)). When one of several children is emancipated, support is recalculated rather than cut in proportion (see below). The child support guidelines are not used to set college contributions, though a court may apply them to a student over 18 who commutes to college (Appendix IX-A).
Colorado
For orders entered on or after July 1, 1997, support ends without anyone filing a motion when the last or only child turns 19, unless the parents agreed otherwise in writing, the child has a disability, or the child is still in high school. A child who marries or enters active military duty is emancipated (C.R.S. §14-10-115(13)). The postsecondary education rules do not apply to these orders, but parents can agree in a written stipulation, approved by the court, to continue support past 19 or to share postsecondary costs. Orders entered before July 1, 1997 follow older rules under which a court could order postsecondary support, ending no later than the child's 21st birthday or an undergraduate degree, whichever comes first (§14-10-115(15)).
Pennsylvania
Parents are liable for unemancipated children 18 or younger and may be liable for children 18 or older (23 Pa.C.S. §4321). Orders do not stop on their own at 18. Within six months before the child's 18th birthday, the county domestic relations section sends an emancipation inquiry asking for the graduation date, any agreement to pay past 18 and any special needs. If there is no reply within 30 days, or no ground to continue, and no other child is on the order, the section ends it administratively on the later of the 18th birthday or graduation (Pa.R.C.P. 1910.19(e)). On college, the state's support rules note that actions for higher education support were abolished by the state Supreme Court in Curtis v. Kline (1995), although the postsecondary statute, 23 Pa.C.S. §4327, remains in the code.
Virginia
Support for a child over 18 continues only while the child is a full-time high school student, not self-supporting and living with the parent receiving support, until 19 or graduation (Va. Code §20-124.2). A court may also order support for a child over 18 who is severely and permanently disabled, if the disability existed before 18 (or before 19 for a child who met the high school test), the child cannot live independently and support himself or herself, and lives in that parent's home. A court can confirm the parents' agreement to extend support beyond the point where it would otherwise end.
Arizona
The duty covers minor, unemancipated children (A.R.S. §25-501). If the child reaches majority while attending high school or a certified equivalency program, support continues during actual attendance, but only until 19. Support past majority for a child with a disability requires severe mental or physical disabilities, shown by an inability to live independently and be self-supporting, that began before majority (§25-320).
Florida
Unless the court orders otherwise or the parents agree, current support for a child ends at 18 (Fla. Stat. §61.14(9)). It can continue for a child between 18 and 19 who is dependent in fact, still in high school and performing in good faith with a reasonable expectation of graduating before 19, and for a dependent adult whose dependency comes from a mental or physical incapacity that began before majority (§743.07).
Arrears survive the end of support
When current support stops, past-due amounts stay owed. Federal law defines past-due support as a delinquency for a child "whether or not a minor" (42 U.S.C. §664(c)), so the federal tax refund offset can still collect it after the child is grown. Florida says the end of current support does not end the obligation to pay arrears, retroactive support or costs (Fla. Stat. §61.14(9)). In Pennsylvania, administrative termination does not affect arrears, and the court can order the parent to keep paying the old monthly amount toward them until they are paid (Pa.R.C.P. 1910.19(e)). Collection deadlines for arrears differ by state; they are covered in the guide to unpaid support.
When one of several children ages out
The end of support for one child does not always mean a proportional cut. New Jersey's guidelines say an order for two children should not simply be halved when one is emancipated; support is recalculated on the parents' current incomes and the number of children still covered (Appendix IX-A, para. 24). In Pennsylvania, when other children remain on the order, the domestic relations section may schedule a conference to decide whether the order should change.
This guide is general information. Whether a particular order ends on a given date depends on its terms and the state's law; the court or the state child support agency can confirm it.